I want to put a leash on my 13yo step son. This will be his first trip with us and I have had to find him at a gas station before, the kid just wonders off as soon as you turn around.

On a serious note I don't have an issue with them. It is better then your child wondering off. I got one for my neighbor, she has 4 kids under 5 and you can try really hard but at some point your eyes are off one of them. One of hers is particularly bad about wondering off so that is why I got her the monkey backpack leash.

I There is lots of eye candy in the parks and even the adults get cought up in it, .

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Odd anytime I have been to disney I havent seen much eye candy..usually its married fellows, who have been too well fed and too bald for my liking.
I would like to know when you are going and seeing all this eye candy? I may wish to try going at that time!!

PS I love the Disney ones! We are undecided if we need one for our two year old. She is more mobile now but we are hoping for the inbetween rides she will stay in her stroller. As long as we stay moving she does not care but if we stop she wants out. She does not really run off though and is good at holding hands.

we had one for our daughter for awhile, she was in a phase of not holding hands without fighting and the backpack was the only way we could let her out of the stroller to walk around a bit. I'd say we used it on/off while she was b/w 18 months and 2 years old. Fortunately she listens a bit better these days!!
of course some people will presume to be better parents than you and tell you it's wrong but if something affords your child a little more enjoyment while you know they're staying safe, who's to tell you it's not right?!

We used one 2 weeks ago on vacation and it worked great. Our almost 2 year old likes to run when out of the stoller, and this way we know that she can't get very far. We plan to take it with us to Disney in the fall incase she wants to walk in Disney instead of traveling around in the stroller. We know that when were in the parks, she will want to see everything and dart away.

When our oldest daughter was little we had to have one for her. She has ADHD and as a small child she was so impulsive she would take off in public situations and we were scared to death so often. Once in our local mall she ran away and hid in a store's fitting room. We couldn't find her anywhere for what seemed like hours. It was the scariest day of my life. After that we used a leash until she got a little older. For us it was a total safety issue. She is 12 now and thinks the stories of her on a leash as a preschooler are funny. If she only knew how scared she made me back then!

My daughter is now almost 11. So back 10 years ago, my parents kept urging me to try a child lease and I was against it. I never saw many of them around 10 years ago either and I'm sure that influenced my decision.

However, she drove my husband & I insane at ages 2 and 3. Even at 4 she had to be watched carefully. Not a care in the world... run off wherever and whenever she wanted... to anyone!!

We always believed it was behaviour and parenting issues... It wasn't 'til years later that we found out she is special needs and the behaviour was normal for her.

I just think putting kids on leashes is some what silly. If your child is calm, i wouldn't put them on a leash. I think if your child has run away before, then you may feel safer with them on a leash. I don't and never will put my kids on leashes but if it works for you.....

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the reason I put my 3yr old dd on a leash is usually when I'm shopping, I also have a 11month old, and sometimes I have to tend to him, and I would not want her to disappear, not that I'm worried abt her running off, I'm worried abt her being taking. It just makes me safer, and she doesn't mind. It's not like I have a dog collar on her...

We used the monkey backpack with DD when she went at 18m. At that age, children want to get down and walk. And you can not hold their hand the entire time. So you watch them like a hawk, which takes all of your effort. You can't enjoy your surroundings at all. At least when I used the backpack, I could watch her halftime, and look around halftime. I knew she was safe.

But it's not without its faults. When she did try to run off, you had to hold on tight. So that would (almost) yank her back. I certainly didn't want her being jerked and falling!

She loved having her friend "Monkey" right there. And I have some of the cutest pics of her!

We used a tether for our kids when they were little. It gave them a sense of independence and us one of security. It's a crazy world out there and even the most attentive and cautious parent can blink and a child is gone - too many sad stories to be told. Parents with multiple children (or even one child) use it as a tool for convenience and safety. I guess the bottom line is - don't judge - there are a lot worse things than a tether.

We have a wanderer....and we bought the monkey backpack for him for Disney 2 years ago when he was 3. We brought it with us into the park, "just in case". Well...the boy pulled a disappearing act at dinner at the Crystal Palace, and from that point onward, he had his backpack on...even in the stroller. He's a bit of a "free spirit" and he isn't trying to be a pain, but he likes to explore. Funny story that happened on that trip...we were in the Epcot Character Connection, just myself and 3 of my kids. Josh was one of them...and he had his monkey on. I was holding the tail, and he was leeeeeeaning into it, just kind of hovering (as I hoped that it was stronger than it looked so he wouldn't face plant). The lady behind me looked at me and said "And to think I wondered why he had that on"..lol. Yep...because I want him to have freedom, but I want to keep all of my hair, thanks. We are going back this year, and he'll be 5. The monkey is coming with us again...and I might have to get a Mickey one too...for our 2-almost-3 year old, since he inherited the wanderlust, as well.

I always explain it like this - if you were waist high or shorter, and had to have your arm hanging out above your head to hold a parent's hand, I would imagine it might get painful after awhile, and no wonder they try to twist out of the hold. I admit I was iffy about the tethers for years...made it through 3 kids before we gave in....but it does give you a bit of a peace of mind.

And let me just say....it's cool to see such a calm and rational discussion about something that can lead to arguments.

But I do hate when I see a parent totally ignoring a child that they have on a leash. Just because you are using one doesn't mean you don't have to pay your child an attention. They are supposed to assist you in parenting, not replace your need to keep an eye on your child.[/QUOTE]

I agree. I am not a parent, so I can't comment either way -- other than, when I see parent's ignoring a child, whom is on a tether, I do find it unsettling.

I never used a leash on my own kids when they were little, although I probally should have as each one managed to get away and lost in a large department store, then one year my eldest sons g/f was visiting and we all went to Mystic Aquarium, I had the little girls hand and she began tugging and pulled away , it is quite dark inside the aquarium and I did panic as I could not see the lil girl anywhere, we all searched and did find her maybe 5 minutes later, but I bluted out to my sons g/f you need to get a leash for that kid, of course she took offence to my remark, but honest to god I was never so scared as I was that day trying to find a two year old in the dark amoung strangers in a packed aquarium.